


Shouldn't it be easy?

by morganloveswillsolace



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29574366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganloveswillsolace/pseuds/morganloveswillsolace
Summary: After the war with Gaea, Nico diAngelo and Will Solace became close friends. They spent tons of time together; Nico helped out in the infirmary, and Will followed Nico around like a *really* annoying personal nurse. Nico thought that the sparks he'd felt between them during the Battle of Camp Half-Blood would fade with time. They didn't. Nico didn't understand these feelings. His crush on Percy had been only that- a crush. With Will, things were more complicated. He felt lighter around Will, like he was walking on air. When Will was around, Nico could finally breathe. Still- Nico had never dated anyone before. He'd never even *flirted* with someone. That is, until Will Solace.Can Nico sort out his feelings for Will- and even possibly have something more than a friendship?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 11
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

Nico  _ hated _ Percy Jackson. No- hate wasn’t a strong enough word for what he currently felt- the searing anger blazed through his veins. He needed to try and calm down before he accidentally summoned a bunch of skeletons or, worse, started crying. 

Gods, it was so frustrating. Nico wasn’t proud of it, but he was the type whose anger quickly turned to tears behind closed doors. It only ever made him madder, the fact that he couldn’t control his emotions, but at least it usually kept his supernatural powers in check. As he stalked back to his cabin, he tried to shove the thoughts of what Percy had said from his mind. Will had been right there. Nico didn’t even want to start on how annoying Will was- constantly ordering him around, expecting him to socialize and be  _ friendly…  _

The worst part was, Nico had found himself starting to enjoy it. He found himself stealing glances at Will’s golden blonde curls, staring at the spattering of freckles that accented most of Will’s upper body. Thankfully, Will hadn’t seemed to notice any of it. At least Nico didn’t think he had. He’d been nothing short of the nicest person at camp. Nico had never felt so included- and though he wouldn’t have ever admitted it, especially to Will, it was kind of nice. 

And now that might all go away. All because of stupid, idiotic, loose-lipped Percy Jackson. Nico couldn’t even understand how he’d had a crush on the idiot. He was  _ so  _ not Nico’s type. He’d finally reached his cabin, and he had to concentrate on not slamming the door. 

He’d been hanging out with Percy while they waited for Annabeth to finish giving one of the new campers a tour. “You totally have a crush on him!” Percy had said, laughing, as he sat on top of one of the wooden picnic tables in the woods. “You should see your eyes whenever you look at him. Even I, who’s  _ notoriously _ bad at telling when people have crushes, could tell.” Nico had fought back the blood rushing into his cheeks and managed to roll his eyes. “Isn’t the whole you being bad at telling when people have crushes thing just more proof that you’re wrong?” Nico had retorted, running his fingers through his hair. Even to Nico, the anxiety in his voice was glaringly obvious. “Dude, when are you gonna make a move?” Percy had asked him, completely ignoring Nico’s denial. “Objectively, Will’s hot. Someone is gonna make a move on him sooner or later, and if it’s not you, I’m gonna be seriously pissed,” Percy complained. “Plus, you’re not the only one who’s super obvious. He clearly feels the same way,” He continued, his eyes locking on something to Nico’s right. When he’d looked over his shoulder, he saw the familiar mop of blonde curls signaling only one thing.  _ William freakin’ Solace. _ He was about ten feet away and walking toward them. And one-hundred-percent in hearing distance. Cursing, Nico had ducked his head down and looked the other way. He hoped Percy could feel the absolute hatred and anger pouring out of his every pore, but Percy had just laughed and taken another bite out of the apple he’d been eating. “Later dudes,” He’d said, and hopped off the picnic table. 

Nico sat there, cringing, while one pair of steps faded away and the other got louder. 

“Hey,” Will had said easily, sliding into the bench on the opposite side of the table. “I just wanted to make sure you got something to eat this morning,” He said, fishing something out of his pocket. “Since you missed breakfast,” He finished, triumphantly holding up a granola bar. Nico had sighed. “Yes I ate breakfast,” He lied. He should’ve known better, because if anyone could tell when Nico was lying, it was Will. Will had tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy and raised an eyebrow. “Did you really?” He asked again, fixing Nico with a mom stare that could rival Persephone’s. 

Nico glowered and snatched the granola bar out of Will’s hand. “Fine. But I’m gonna hate every single bite because I’m not hungry. And if I throw up later I’m blaming you,” He complained. Will had laughed. Why didn’t Nico’s glaring affect him? What was the point of being a son of Hades if you couldn’t even scare people? Shoving the granola bar into the pocket of his black skinny jeans, he’d stomped off. “You’d better eat that,” Will had shouted towards him as he left.

As Nico sat down on his bunk in Cabin 13, he took the granola bar out of his pocket. He was tempted to throw it away- he really wasn’t hungry- but stupid as it was he didn’t want to let Will down. He shrugged his black  aviator's  jacket off onto the bed and let himself fall face-first into the mattress.  _ Why  _ did he have to get a crush on  _ Will Solace _ of all people? He was so bubbly and happy all the time- and Nico didn’t know how he dealt with Will forcing him to eat all the time. Groaning, he pulled one of the pillows over his head. “Why?” He grumbled, pressing his fists into his eyes. If Will had heard what Percy said, that was probably it for their friendship. Will would think Nico was weird and then he’d stop going out of his way to include him, and Nico would go back to being the loner. He’d probably have to leave camp again. 

He wouldn’t even be able to go to Camp Jupiter, they’d know to ask Reyna if he showed up there. Nico tried not to let the anxiety overwhelm him, but he could tell he was getting himself worked up. If he didn’t do something he would have an actual anxiety attack- and he did  **_not_ ** need to end up in the infirmary with Will asking questions. He tried to focus on his breathing but his heart rate refused to slow. After a few minutes had passed, he decided he needed to go be near someone. It made him angry how much he wanted that someone to be Will. He knew Will’s warm presence would calm him down- at least, it usually would. But when the freak out was  _ about _ Will, it might have the opposite effect. 

He stumbled around his cabin, pulling his jacket and combat boots back on hastily. Piper’s cabin was closest to Nico’s, so he found himself knocking on their door a few minutes later. Her little sister, Lacy, opened the door. Her bright smile faded quickly when she sensed Nico’s mood. “Is Piper here?” Nico asked, trying to put any anger out of his voice. He didn’t want to scare her- he’d been her age at camp before- and he couldn’t imagine how he’d have felt if some older camper yelled at him over something that wasn’t his fault.

“Um-” Lacy stumbled, gulping, “I think she’s with Jason right now. You could look in Cabin One. I’m sorry!” She said, cringing away from him like she expected to be yelled at. “It’s okay... thanks,” Nico said, turning away from Cabin Ten. 

The next closest was the Athena cabin, but that was right next to Cabin Seven.  _ Will’s cabin. _

After deliberating for a moment, Nico decided to go look for Piper and Jason in Cabin One. After walking for a few minutes- he’d taken the long way to avoid the infirmary and Will’s cabin- he was standing outside Jason’s cabin. He knocked on the door, and after a couple of seconds, Jason answered. His glasses were crooked, and his shirt was crinkly. “Hey dude,” Jason said, running his fingers through his hair. “What’s up?” 

Nico winced. He loved Jason, and he’d been a really good friend to Nico after the whole cupid incident, but he did  _ not  _ want to imagine what had been happening right before he knocked. “Uh- is Piper here?” He asked, eyeing the bunk bed behind Jason. “Oh, yeah, here come in dude,” Jason said, stepping back and pulling the door open. Piper sat on one of the bunks, pulling her hair into a ponytail. “Hey Nico,” She said, her smile faltering when she saw the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

Nico walked over to the bed she was sitting on, and almost sat down before thinking better of it. He did  _ not _ want to sit on the bed right after they’d been doing whatever they were doing.

He opted to sit on the one across from her. Jason sat down on the bed next to Piper and put his arm over her shoulder. 

Nico fidgeted with one of his bracelets. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say- especially with Jason here. After a few moments of tense silence, he blurted it all out. “Percy said something about me having a crush on Will earlier and I’m worried that Will heard what he said, and that he’s gonna be uncomfortable around me or something and I was just kind of freaking out in my cabin and I didn’t want to be alone in case I had an anxiety attack or something.” 

Ugh, the look Piper was giving him- like he was a lost puppy- was the worst thing ever. “I think I’m gonna be okay, I just needed to be around some other people right now.” He said, pinching his wrist to distract himself. Piper stood up and moved to sit next to Nico. 

“Is it okay if I hug you?” She asked, staring at Nico’s big brown eyes. When he nodded a tentative yes, she pulled him into a tight hug. 

“ _ Great. Gods, of course now here come the tears, _ ” He thought, stiffening against Piper’s hug. “It’s okay to be vulnerable, you know?” Piper said, squeezing him tighter. “You don’t need to run away from your feelings. If you do have a crush or feelings for Will, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you always push them down, how will you ever know if he feels the same way?” She asked, pulling away for a second to look at Nico’s face. “If you’re not ready to admit that yet, to yourself or especially to me, that’s completely fine. But  _ please  _ don’t push Will away because you’re scared of how he makes you feel. And by the way,” She teased, poking Nico’s shoulder, “I totally think that you two would make a cute couple.” 

She shot Jason a pointed glance, and he nodded. “Yeah bro, you two would be super cute together. Will’s like- the only one here who isn’t affected by your death glares.” 

At that, Nico managed a faint smile. “Do you know how annoying that is?” He grumbled into Piper’s shoulder. “He’s always bossing me around!” 

Piper laughed. “You and I both know that sometimes you could use a little bossing around.” Nico glared up at her, but there was no heat behind it. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid because of this, okay? Like running away,” Piper asked him, shooting him one of her Mom Looks™. “I guess,” Nico sighed, and pulled away from her hug. “But can I at least hang out here until dinner? I don’t wanna be alone.”

Piper beamed. “My little  _ grandi _ , you’ve come so far! It wasn’t even that long ago when you’d go hide when you were upset. I’m so proud of you!” She gushed, pulling Nico in for one last quick hug before she hopped back over to Jason’s bed. 

They hung out in Cabin One for a few hours until it was time for dinner. Thankfully, ever since the Romans had started visiting, the whole sitting with your cabin thing wasn’t as strictly enforced. And by that, Nico meant it wasn’t enforced at all.

Unfortunately though, that meant Will would most likely be sitting right next to him in a few minutes the way he usually did. And then he’d have to try not to stare at his annoyingly handsome face the entire time,  _ plus _ he’d be forced to eat. Not to mention he’d have to try and concentrate on everything but how close Will would be to him.

Usually, the table for Cabin Three was jam-packed with pretty much all of Nico’s friends. Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Will, Leo, sat there every day; and when they were here, Hazel, Frank, and Reyna did too. It was still hard not being around Hazel and Reyna daily. He missed his sister- and after they’d settled into a routine with the Roman’s temporary camp, he and Reyna had gotten even closer. He wasn’t as close with Frank- Who wants to think about their little sister kissing- or gods forbid, anything else- with someone? But he was still on good terms with the son of Mars. Hopefully, they’d visit soon. 

When Piper, Jason, and Nico got to the table, Percy and Annabeth were already there. When Percy saw Nico, his face turned apologetic. “Hey dude, I’m sorry if I took it too far earlier. I was just messing around,” He said, and Nico rolled his eyes. This was part of what annoyed him about Percy, it was just impossible to stay mad at him. “Whatever,” Nico said, and he sat down. They talked about the capture the flag game planned for the next day for a few minutes while the rest of their friends arrived. Finally, his heart somersaulted in his chest when he felt someone-  _ Will- _ sit down next to him. Why was Nico scared to look at him? He managed a brief smile at the freckle-covered demigod to his right and looked back down at the table. His entire size was tingling like it was anticipating something.

“Bro, you  _ have _ to be on our team,” Percy complained at Jason who was fist-bumping with Leo. “No way! You can’t monopolize all of the strongest campers!” Leo cried, glaring at Percy. “It’s either you get Jason or you get Nico, you can’t have both of them!” Leo whined, shooting Nico a glance. 

Suddenly, his hand was in Will’s. “Nico’s with me,” Will exclaimed, pulling their hands in the air. “So whoever wants Cabin Seven gets Cabin Thirteen too.” 

Nico tried once again to fight the heat that was smoldering behind his cheeks, but he could tell he’d failed when he heard Piper giggle and saw her duck her head into Jason’s shoulder. 

“How about this,” Leo said. “My cabin, Jason, Percy, and the Hermes cabin on one team, and then Nico with everyone else? If they have more people it’ll make up for you two being on the same team,” He said, glancing at Jason and Percy. “Plus, they’ll have the girls, and when it’s Annabeth versus Percy usually it’s a pretty close match.” 

“You’re so on, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth said, pecking Percy’s cheek. “You and I both know I always win,” She laughed and Percy dropped his head on the table. “There go my hopes of an easy victory,” He said, and Annabeth mussed his hair. 

Will had dropped Nico’s hand, but their shoulders were still touching, and it felt like an electric current was running down Nico’s entire arm. For a second he wondered if Will could feel it too, and he pulled away. The loss of contact actually  _ stung, _ and Nico wanted to scream.  _ Why did this have to happen? _

Later that night, the gang was all sitting at the bonfire together. As usual, Nico and Will were sitting right next to each other. Nico’s anxiety had started to lessen, and he was pretty sure Will hadn’t heard what Percy said. He hadn’t been acting any differently from his usual annoying self. They’d been at the bonfire for around twenty minutes when Nico’s stomach started to hurt.  _ A lot. _ He tried to ignore it, but it was like his entire lower stomach was a fist and it was squeezing as hard as it could. After trying to endure it for a few minutes, Nico got up to leave. He needed to use the bathroom- or throw up- just something. He’d been injured countless ways in battle, but this was a different kind of pain. Will obviously noticed him getting up- they were sitting next to each other, and of course, being the annoyingly perfect Doctor’s Orders™ guy that he was, followed Nico until it was quiet enough for them to talk. 

“What’s wrong?” Will asked, unsubtly giving Nico a once over. Nico clenched his teeth and focused on breathing while his stomach squeezed again. After a few seconds, he answered. 

“My stomach hurts.”

“Come to the infirmary.”

“No, it’s okay, you can go back to the bonfire. I'll be fine.”

“Let’s at least get you some ibuprofen.”

“Will-!” Nico started before turning to the side and promptly vomiting into the grass. 

_ “I am going to off myself.” _ He thought to himself, as he kneeled on the ground. 

“Will!” He coughed, “Please just leave me alone!”

“What kind of doctor would I be if I abandoned someone who just threw up on a random trail in the middle of the woods?” Will asked, before abruptly scooping Nico up into his arms in a bridal style carry. 

“A good one because you’re respecting my wishes,” Nico grumbled, thanking the gods that he had managed to keep the vomit from getting on himself. Will’s arms-  _ gods he was ripped for a medic- _ cradled Nico tightly as he walked back to the infirmary. 

“Do you know why you’re sick?” Will asked. “Did you like- eat dirt or something?” Nico fixed him with the toughest glare he could muster up. “No, Solace, I did not eat dirt. I think if I knew why I was sick then I would have already fixed it, don’t you? I’m not a masochist.” 

“You never know,” Will smirked, and Nico stared at him incredulously. “Can you just hurry up and fix me?” Nico grumbled, flopping onto the exam table as Will walked into the closet of the infirmary. “I think I’m going to die.” 

A few seconds later Will emerged with a small white bottle and a paper cup. “Ambrosia,” He said, handing Nico the cup. “Advil,” He continued, shaking three pills into Nico’s trembling hands. “Now take it.” He directed, sitting down in one of the chairs off to the side. Nico obliged, and immediately the cramping in his stomach lessened. Thank the gods. “Do you think you’re gonna be okay?” Will asked from the closet and emerging with a package of uncut bandages. 

“Um- yeah. Sorry for throwing up near you,” Nico said, staring at the floor. He didn’t have to be near a mirror to know that his face was bright red. “DiAngelo, are you seriously apologizing to me- a medic- for throwing up?” Will asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yeah.” 

“You are so dense sometimes,” Will said, laughing, and Nico’s heart somersaulted again. “Do you want to go back to the bonfire, or wait in here till you can go back to your cabin?” Will asked, and Nico looked over at him in confusion. “I can’t go back to my cabin right now?”

“You have to stay near a medic for at least 45 minutes after you throw up, it’s a camp rule. Chiron didn’t want anyone passing out in the forest trying to walk somewhere alone and getting eaten by a monster, I guess,” Will said. Nico sighed. The fates must be laughing at him right now, sticking him with the one person he was trying to avoid for 45 minutes straight. “I guess we can wait in here,” Nico grumbled, and Will laughed. 

Then, randomly, he blurted out a question he’d had since dinner.    
“Why did you want me on your team for capture the flag?” He asked, stealing a glance at the blonde boy who had started cutting bandages in the corner. 

“What do you mean?”

“I just was wondering why you wanted me on your team,” Nico said, tugging his t-shirt down.

“Well, we’re friends,” Will said, looking up from the bandages for a moment to shoot Nico a confused look. “Plus, it wouldn’t have been fair if you were on Jason and Percy’s team. We wouldn’t have had a chance against all of you together- even with Annabeth and Piper on our side.” 

“Oh, okay.”

“Why would you think I wouldn’t want you on my team?” Will asked, pausing.

“You don’t still have it in your head that you don’t have friends here, do you? Because that’s ridiculous and you know it. Everyone who sits with us at meals is your friend.” He said, with more force than his always-relaxed voice usually held. 

Nico didn’t want to lie to Will, and so he just looked back at the floor. Will sighed and Nico noticed that one of his tanned hands reached up to his neck and twisted one of the clay beads on his camp necklace. 

“Gods, diAngelo, when are you going to get it in that thick skull of yours that some of us  _ want _ to spend time around you? Haven’t I made it pretty clear?” 

His tone was lighthearted, but Nico knew that he meant what he said. “I know,” Nico said, pulling his knees up to his chin on the exam table. “It’s just-” He trailed off, searching for the right words. “It doesn’t come naturally to me I guess. Being around other people. I don’t know it’s kind of dumb but I feel like as soon as I get close to people they’re going to leave me.”

“You know that’s not true right?”

“I guess, yeah.”

And then Will’s green flip-flops were squeaking on the tile floor and he walked over to the exam table Nico was sitting on. He hopped up next to Nico, and the next thing he knew, Will’s tanned arms wrapped around him in a loose hug. Who was he becoming, allowing two people to hug him in one day? 

“I’m not going to leave you, Nico,” Will murmured, releasing him as quickly as he’d walked over. The freckle-covered boy leaned his shoulder on Nico and looked over at him playfully. The air was abruptly thick, and Nico had to remind himself to breathe. The atmosphere had done a complete 180, and it felt charged with electricity. Will had turned his head to the side and was staring at him, sky blue eyes meeting velvety chocolate. Nico was acutely aware of each inhalation they each took, and they were so close that he could feel Will’s breath on his face. Did Will notice how Nico’s eyes kept flickering to his lips? 

“Yeah,” Nico scoffed, breaking the tension. “Who would you have to boss around if you left me?” He teased, smiling. 

“Is that a real smile, diAngelo?” Will asked, pointing at Nico’s cheeks lazily. 

“It looks good on you.”

After Will went back to cutting bandages, they sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. (Though Nico’s cheeks were still tinted a faint pink.) “Percy is something else, isn’t he?” Will said, rolling his eyes. “We’re going to have to bring our A-game if we want any chance of beating them.”

“To be fair,” Nico said, biting his cheek, “It is Percy. He’s not the best at thinking things through before he does them, so we’d probably have good luck if we tried to trick him.”

“You think?”

“Yeah,” Nico scoffed, thinking about how Percy had almost told Will that Nico liked him earlier that day. Percy was many things, and he wasn’t dumb, but a thinker was not one of them.

“So you’re going to stay here all year right?” Will asked.    
“Yeah, where else would I go?” 

Will laughed. “Camp Jupiter, your dad’s, I dunno.”

“Yep. Just me and Cabin 13 all year long.”

“Well, at least I won’t be alone. Does Hazel ever come and visit?” 

“Sometimes, usually when she does Reyna and Frank come too. I wish they came more often though. You don’t stay all year do you?”

“I used to go home for the school year… My mom lives in Austin, and generally, I don’t attract anything too dangerous when I’m alone. She lives downtown, right next to sixth street, so we go walking there all the time. It’s always so pretty during Christmas time, they put up all these twinkle lights, it’s like a real-life Hallmark movie- minus the homeless people.”

“That must’ve been so weird,” Nico noted, fiddling with his bracelet. “Having a double life like that. Did anyone aside from your mom know?”

“Nope. I wish she didn’t know sometimes. I  _ hate _ putting her in danger when I’m there.” Will said, and Nico noticed his hands were clenched into fists. “I make her carry around a celestial bronze knife,” He continued, his voice tight. “My first time going home after camp- it was crazy. I was like you, kind of, I didn’t talk to anyone. It was so weird, like a part of me was missing. I only ended up lasting, like, three months. It just felt wrong to lie to people who were supposed to be my friends.”

Nico nodded. Apollo- among other things- was the god of truth; of course Will didn’t like lying. “Do you ever miss it?” He asked, looking up from his bracelet and watching as Will finished cutting the bracelets. 

“Miss what?”   
“Having a regular life. Do you remember what it was like before your first summer here? Sometimes I think I’d give anything to remember my life before the Lotus casino.”

Will smiled and finished cutting the last of the bandages. He walked over to the chair next to the exam table and sat down. “It’s weird.” He said, running his fingers through his curls. “I do miss it, kind of, but I’d always felt like I was incomplete. They don’t let eight-year-olds help out in the nurse’s office,” He said laughing. “When I got to camp, it was like I finally understood myself. Like in the puzzle piece of who I am, the last piece got put in. Does that make any sense?” He laughed and looked up and Nico, who was still curled up into a cannonball-like shape on the exam table. 

“Yeah, I think so. It’d probably make better sense to anyone else in this camp though,” He said, sighing. He would have given almost anything to remember his mom. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the bonfire?” Will asked after a few moments had passed. Even though Nico didn’t know what was happening between him and Will, he knew that Piper was right and he shouldn’t push him away. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s too hot out there.”

“I wasn’t aware you could get hot, aren’t you like- the king of hell?” Will teased, and Nico rolled his eyes. “Look who’s talking, child of the  _ sun _ ,” Nico retorted, and he was surprised to find that even with everything going on, he didn’t feel uncomfortable talking to Will. It felt the same as it had the past few months. He was talking to Will freakin’ Solace, and just possibly, his walls were starting to come down.

The next morning, Nico’s first thought was about Will.  _ Gods, what was getting into him? _ His second thought was about Capture the flag. It wasn’t happening for more than 12 hours, but it didn’t hurt anyone to be overprepared. After lazily getting dressed, he started towards the armory. It was only when Cabin 7 came into view that Nico wondered if he should get Will to come with him. _ Would he think it was stupid?  _ Luckily for Nico, before he even got near the cabin, Will popped out of the front door and started towards him. 

“Hi,” Nico squeaked, startled. Will laughed. “You know, for someone who’s supposed to be super scary, you  _ get scared  _ pretty easily,” Will said, following Nico towards the armory. Nico shot him another glare, which Will paid no notice to. 

That was going to be frustrating. If Will wanted to boss him around, Nico’s glares wouldn’t stop him. 

After a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence, (Though it had become charged the few times their knuckles brushed together,) they reached the armory.    
“Were you planning to go to the armory, or did you just see me and decide that tormenting me, even more, would be fun?” Nico asked as he rummaged through the equipment for his usual armor. 

“Well I could tell you, but what’s the fun in that?” Will said, holding up a rusted breastplate and examining it. Flecks of red fluttered down to the ground and Will tossed it back onto the pile.

“Yeah, so much fun,” Nico muttered as he dug through the pile of metal. After a couple of seconds, he found the one he usually wore. “So, did Annabeth make a plan for our team yet?” Nico asked, watching Will as he kept looking for his armor. 

“Um, I think knowing her she probably made the plan last week, but I haven’t asked her what it is yet.”   
“Oh okay.”   
Will found the breastplate that he was looking for and walked over to the door. “Did you already eat breakfast, death boy? Or do you want to walk with me to breakfast?”

“I’m okay, thanks.”   
“So you did eat?”

“No,” Nico retorted, “I’m just not hungry.”   
“DiAngelo, you need to eat if you ever want to get back what you lost on your trip with the Athena Parthenos. Plus,” Will said, his Good Doctor™ personality coming out, “Not eating is a sign of depression. And unless you want me to force you to stay in the infirmary for way longer than three days, then you need to come with me to breakfast and eat.” 

Nico growled something along the lines of “You can’t force me to do anything,” (Though it wasn’t really a growl because he wasn’t actually mad,) and started to walk away in the direction of Cabin 13 when his wrist was yanked back and he almost fell. “Come on, Nico,” Will said, sliding his hand down and interlacing their fingers. “Can’t we do this the easy way?” He teased, tugging on Nico’s arm in the direction of the dining pavilion. “When you’re involved, nothing is ever easy,” Nico complained, but he let Will pull him away. 

“How do you even have this much energy this early in the morning?” Nico grumbled as they walked, trying to keep his mind off the fact that his hand was still in Will’s. 

“I’m solar powered; obviously,” Will beamed, turning his face up to the sun and closing his eyes. 

_ Gods, he looked even cuter in the sun. _

Nico wondered if Will thought it was weird that Nico hadn’t pulled his hand away yet, considering when they’d first met Nico would barely allow himself to look at the son of Apollo.

“So, what, when the sun comes up it’s like someone injected you with three pounds of coffee? Or is that just your usual annoying cheerfulness?”

Will bumped their shoulders together playfully. “My cheerfulness is one of my best traits.”

“Mhm,” Nico murmured, rolling his eyes. 

Later that day, The captains of each cabin met up with their teams to discuss the strategy. Annabeth, Piper, Will, Nico, and Clarisse were all sitting around the table in the big house. Nico had been the last to arrive, and Annabeth and Clarisse were arguing when he walked in. 

“It makes more sense to send out a strong defense! We can use decoys at first; You  _ know  _ that Percy will fall for it! He always does!”

“We do that every time, Clarisse! He’s gonna catch on! It makes more sense to keep our flag well-defended and send a couple of people out on the offense. We all know Percy and Jason are both going on offense, and if we have a weak defense it’ll be over before it’s even started!”    
Clarisse’s face turned pink, and she slammed her palm onto the table. “If we lose because of you, Chase, we’re going to have a problem,” She growled and rubbed her temples. 

“If we lost, it would be because we used an Ares strategy. Why are we even arguing? We all know that you should leave this to the Athen-”

Nico stopped listening, and while they kept arguing he walked over to one of the couches on the outskirts of the room. As soon as he sat down, Will walked over and plopped down next to him like it was the most natural thing in the world.  _ Gods, was it hot in here?  _   
“Hey,” Nico said, and he hoped Will didn’t notice the way his breath hitched. He tugged at the hem of his shirt. 

“Hey,” Will replied, looking over at him. “Are you ready for Capture the Flag tonight?”

“Yeah,” Nico said, unable to stop a smile from spreading over his face. His focus was abruptly brought back to the argument when he heard his name. “Nico!” Annabeth practically growled, and Nico was surprised. Normally Annabeth was almost as laid back as Will- but she could get in a certain mood when working on strategy. “You and Will will be our offense. I’m pretty sure you two can handle that, and then we’ll keep a large number of people on defense; since Percy and Jason are almost certainly both going on offense. Piper can scout out the flag- I’m sure someone will tell her with her charmspeak, so that makes it easy- and then she’ll come to get you guys when she knows where it is. Does that work?” Nico glanced at Will in confirmation before nodding yes. After the girls begrudgingly agreed on a plan, they all left for the mess hall. It was an unusually chilly day for camp, but Nico was pretty comfortable. Sometimes his Aviator's jacket was uncomfortably warm, but he wasn’t a fan of wearing anything that showed his arms- or any unnecessary skin for that matter. “Are you going to make me eat again?” Nico asked, trying not to let his every thought linger on the fact that Will’s and his hands were currently intertwined. 

Friends held hands, right? 

Will laughed. “Of course, what’d you expect? You can’t just go into a game on an empty stomach.”

“Sure I can,” Nico grumbled, but he didn’t pull away. They sat at the Poseidon table, next to each other as usual, when Annabeth and Percy arrived. “Aren’t you two cute,” Annabeth teased, and Nico ducked his head, trying to ignore the burning in his cheeks and ears. “Annabeth,” Will chided, rolling his eyes. “Are you ready for capture the flag? Nico and I already got our armor.”

“Of course I am,” Annabeth said, and shot Percy a pointed glance.    
“What about you, Seaweed Brain?”

Percy ran his hand through his hair. “Obviously,” He said, smirking. “When I play on the opposite team as you, I have to prepare way in advance.”

After everybody else arrived, they ate dinner. Thankfully, Nico was able to get away with eating only a few bites- having a full stomach wasn’t good for him before a fight. He didn’t want to feel sluggish. He mostly pushed food around his plate, and for once Will didn’t seem to notice. 

“DiAngelo! Solace! The flag is to the west of Zeus’s fist,” Piper’s voice came from Nico’s right. “Go!”

The pair had run as quickly as they could in the direction of Zeus’s fist- when they encountered a problem. It had gotten dark quickly, and Nico hadn’t been in this part of the woods before. It was slightly irritating- why did all parts of the woods have to look the same?- and Nico was getting cold, even in his layers. After they’d been walking for what felt like an hour, Nico was over it. Stomping the ground, he felt like screaming. “I think we’re going in circles,” He huffed, leaning against one of the trees. “I can barely see anything.”    
Will- still easygoing and somehow not appearing the slightest irritated- smiled at him. “Well maybe if you weren’t so distracted by my good looks we wouldn’t have gotten lost,” He teased. Nico knew his words meant no harm, but his chest stung. He was grateful for the darkness because he felt the pinpricks of tears in his eyes. It was stupid- why did Will’s words hurt him? It was just a joke- but nevertheless, Nico felt the inexplicable need to run away. He did  _ not _ cry in front of people. Even when said people were Will Solace.  _ Especially _ when said people were Will Solace. His throat got thick, and when he opened his mouth he found he had no words to say. 

It was unexplainable- Nico had no idea why Will’s joke had upset him. He just knew that it did. And that he would not  _ cry  _ in front of Will. “Why would you say that?” He managed in a tense whisper. The pinpricks in his eyes had become full-sized tears. Thankful again for the darkness, he wiped at his eyes.    
There was silence for a moment before Will spoke. “I was just joking, Nico,” He said softly. 

“I-” Nico hesitated before speaking. “I  _ cannot  _ do this.”

And then he dissolved into the shadows.

  
  



	2. afraid you won't be able to resist me?

Nico landed in his cabin. He blindly staggered over- the tears falling freely now- to his bed and pulled his jacket off. Pressing his fists to his eyes he tried to focus on his breathing. He hadn’t realized until it was too late that he’d left Will- who was unarmed- lost in the middle of the pitch-black woods. 

_ What didn’t he screw up? _

He knew that he needed to go back to Will, to at the very least help him find someone else that could protect him in case some monster stumbled across him; but he needed to get control of his emotions first. His eyes burned, and he sat criss-cross on his bunk. 

_ Why did Will make him feel this way? Was this how a crush was supposed to feel?  _

It felt like a thousand skeletal bugs were crawling out of his stomach through his throat. It took everything in him to not throw up. He  _ hated  _ that he couldn’t even control himself long enough to get Will to safety. Nico knew that if something happened to the blonde-haired son of Apollo because Nico had left him, he’d never forgive himself. He sat in the stark silence of the Hades cabin for a minute or two before he deemed himself in control enough to go back. Thankfully, Cabin 13 was always nearly pitch black; covered in shadows. A split second later, Nico stumbled into the clearing he and Will had been standing in before Nico’s freak out. Nico was surprised to find that he could see Will- the boy glowed faintly like his cells were infused with liquid sunlight. He was sitting at the base of one of the huge trees, arms around his knees. 

“Will?” Nico called, his voice shaky as he tried to blink the spots out of his eyes. He knew Will would have been upset with him for using his powers twice in one day- at least if Nico wasn’t currently crying. Will looked up at him, and thank the Gods, he didn’t look angry. If anything, he looked hurt. Nico wasn’t sure why that made his chest burn even worse.

“I’m sorry for leaving you.” He whispered, stumbling over to the son of Apollo. “Are you okay?” He asked, crouching down to Will’s level on the ground. Only- the son of Hades hadn’t accounted for the fact that the spots in his vision hadn’t faded at all- they’d doubled. Still woozy from the shadow travel, his vision swam and he was faintly aware of the fact that his face was on the itchy grass. “Woah,” was all he managed as he scrambled to sit up against the tree next to the freckle-covered boy. Will was looking at him in concern, and Nico tried not to let it bother him. 90% of the time people looked at him, it was in concern. 

“I’m fine, Nico,” Was all Will said, as he twisted the ring on his thumb. “Are  _ you _ okay? What happened?”

_ Oh, gods, Nico was not ready for this conversation. _

“I-I’m sorry... I just got flustered by what you said,” Nico murmured under his breath. The tension in the air was palpable, and Nico could feel his heartbeat in his ears. “I’m not used to having friends you know,” He said in a desperate attempt to break the awkward (Or at least it felt awkward to Nico,) silence. Will laughed breathily, and leaned over on the tree they both sat against, bumping shoulders with the son of Hades. “It’s okay. At least you didn’t leave me out here all night alone,” He joked, leaning his head back to look at the stars. “I don’t think I would have had much of a chance against a Myrmerke; imagine me trying to use my bare hands as a weapon!”

Nico managed a weak laugh and was almost woozy from the relief rapidly filling his entire body.  _ Will wasn’t upset. _

“Do you want me to bring you to Cabin 13? People are probably wondering where we are by now.”

“I don’t know… You already exerted yourself a lot tonight,” Will said, grabbing Nico’s wrist. 

_ Nico was getting tired of these electric shocks. _

“I can feel it,” Will reminded him. “Same way you can feel if someone is about to die.”

“I think we’d both be more likely to die if we tried to walk back at this point than if you just let me do it,” Nico grumbled, rubbing his eyes. He was ready to crash- and he’d rather it be in the bed at his cabin than on the floor of the west woods. Will argued a little bit but conceded eventually and let Nico bring them back to Cabin 13. 

By the time they got there, Nico felt dizzy. “Gonna- take sleep,” He said, before falling sideways onto his bunk. He briefly heard what sounded like laughter before the world faded away.

He dreamt of Will Solace.  _ Of course.  _ It was ironic, in a way. Nico couldn’t even escape his feelings in his dreams. He and Will were in a meadow. It was strikingly beautiful, even to someone who didn’t particularly enjoy the outdoors. It smelled like honeysuckle and daisies. The sunlight touched every part of the grassy oasis- and though beautiful, it couldn’t hold a candle to how unfathomably gorgeous Will looked in the sunlight. His curls- already golden in normal lighting- practically glowed. His sky blue eyes sparkled as they met Nico’s. Each freckle on his face practically glowed. 

“Do you want me?” Dream-Will asked, his face and voice completely calm.    
“What?” Nico asked, startled by the question.

“Do you want me?” Dream-Will asked again, his voice monotone. Nico closed the gap between them in two short, anxious, paces and intertwined their fingers. “I don’t know, Will,” He said, gazing up in wonder at the blonde’s perfectly symmetrical face. He lost himself in the spattering of freckles across Will’s cheeks and nose. It looked like someone had flicked a paintbrush across his face. “I think-” Nico said, raising his other hand- the one not intertwined with Will’s- to trace a connect-the-dot on Will’s freckles. 

“I think I do. Want you. As more than a friend.” 

Dream-Will smiled, and Nico’s heart skipped a beat. “But I don’t know how to tell you that… Or if I can,” Nico said, his voice faltering. Dream-Will smiled again and gave Nico a look of absolute adoration that Nico wished more than anything he could see in real life. “But you just did,” Dream-Will said, his voice tinged with confusion. 

“I wish it were that easy,” Nico said, sighing, and he tugged on Dream-Will’s arm. “But you aren’t real. Come sit with me?” He asked, pulling Will over to a boulder in the corner of the meadow. They both sat down, and Nico leaned into Will’s chest. He felt warm and bubbly inside, which was a feeling he didn’t often have. Will traced patterns onto the inside of Nico’s wrist, and Nico didn’t think he could have felt any more content. “I’m going to miss this when I wake up, you know,” Nico breathed, his head tucked under Will’s chin. Dream-Will didn’t reply, only pulling back and pressing a soft kiss to Nico’s forehead. It was tender and very, very sweet. Before he could pull away, the dream turned gray and blew away like ash in the wind. 

Nico woke up with a broken heart.

He knew now, without a doubt that he wanted Will. He also knew, without a doubt, that it would never happen.

He avoided Will the next day. And the day after that. To be honest, he was avoiding everyone; not just Will. It had been three days since that godforsaken dream, and Nico had only left his cabin when necessary. He completely ignored anyone knocking on the door and became a semblance of a zombie. He hadn’t eaten since dinner before Capture the Flag, and he still had no appetite. He knew himself well enough to recognize what was happening now as a depressive episode; but the thing about depression is that even when you know you have it, there’s nothing you can do to make it any better. He locked himself in the cabin, refusing to leave for anything. 

Nico had expected Will to be hurt. It wasn’t intentional; he would never cause Will unintentional pain; just an unpleasant side effect of the whole situation. What he hadn’t expected was that Will had continued to come to check the cabin every single day before each meal. Three times a day, there would be a knock, silence for a count of ten, and then a second knock. Each step that Will took away from the cabin after Nico didn’t answer was a glass shard in Nico’s heart. On the third day, Will had stayed longer. 

“DiAngelo, I don’t know why you’re doing this, but you  _ cannot  _ skip meals for three days straight!” Will said, his voice sharper than usual with a steely edge. “I brought you some food, and I  _ swear to gods, _ if you don’t eat it I will get Leo to break this wall down with a bulldozer and I’ll stick a feeding tube down your throat.” At the end of the sentence, Nico swore he heard Will’s voice crack.

After he finally left, Nico had hesitantly poked his head out of the door. Will had left a drawstring backpack with the words “Camp Half-Blood Infirmary!” Written in golden letters hanging on the doorknob. It was full of the foods Nico complained the least about eating.  _ Great.  _ His heart did another flip in his chest. Will had even remembered that Nico had said he liked pineapples.  _ Why did Will have to go on and be all  _ caring  _ and make Nico want him even more? _

After another day or two of solitude, Nico decided to venture out of his cabin. He tried to limit his contact with Will, but given how much time they’d spent together each day before all of this, the loss of contact was jarring. They still sat at the same table during meals, but no longer next to each other. Physical contact was  _ strictly  _ off-limits. 

Later that week, Chiron asked Nico if he would go to one of the hotels in Manhattan to help with a ghost problem that some past camp age demigods had been having issues with. Nico had no problem helping out- but when Chiron asked Will to go with him, that was when Nico started to feel anxious. He and Will had barely spoken since Nico had had that dream. Any time he even looked at Will he was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him. Or run his fingers through those perfect golden-blonde curls. To stare at his freckles and trace patterns connecting each one of them.

But Will was off-limits. 

Nico couldn’t exactly say no to Chiron, and so now, squished into the backseat of the camp’s van, the two demigods sat in awkward silence. It wasn’t like they had a phone to pretend to look at- and even if he’d had one Nico wouldn’t have known how to use it. So he just stared out of the window and watched the concrete fly by. Will- usually so relaxed and laid back- was tense as a cat about to pounce. He was practically vibrating with tension. Nico wished he knew what to say that could fix things between them. He missed the playful banter they’d had before things had inexplicably changed. Will wasn’t the type of person to engage in something unnecessarily dramatic, and this whole situation felt like one giant soap opera. It just felt  _ wrong,  _ dragging Will into all of this. One more thing Nico could add to the ever-growing list of things he’d done wrong.

Chiron had told them the room number in the hotel and said the mist should make it so they were able to walk right in. The door wouldn’t be locked. 

The two boys walked into the lobby and Nico was shocked at how different the hotel looked from the Lotus. The outside of it looked old- in the New York kind of way. It was grimy but still looked glamorous. The sign on the front read ‘Hotel Chelsea’ in yellow neon letters that stood out against the stark darkness of the night. When Will saw the name of the hotel, his steps faltered. “What’s wrong?” Nico asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I think that there were a bunch of like, really gruesome murders in this hotel,” Will said, shaking his head. “I think this one woman was stabbed like seventy times.” 

Nico nodded. It made sense, given what they were here for. “Chiron said room 100 right?” Will asked, walking over to the elevator. “Yeah. Can we take the stairs, though?” Nico asked, eyeing the elevator nervously. “Elevators freak me out.”

Will half smiled and nodded. His entire aura was sending out SAD!, and Nico wished more than anything he could fix it. “I think the stairs are over here,” He said, walking over to a rusted white door in the back. “It’s on floor three.”

When they found the room, it was unlocked just a Chiron had said. Immediately, Nico could sense the spirit, and the aura of pain radiating off of it almost caused Nico to double over. Thankfully, (Or not thankfully, depending on how you looked at it,) Nico was used to that level of pain. His breath caught when they stepped inside because the room was in shambles. To Will, he assumed, it looked like a normal room. The queen-sized bed was neatly made with stark white sheets, and each surface was free of dust. To Nico, though, the room was complete chaos. It was illuminated in a neon blue glow like a bowling arena, and Nico could see old blood splatters on almost every flat surface. The ghost in question was sitting silently in a red chair carefully positioned in the corner. Her curly blonde hair was frizzy and choppy. She looked like even on a good day she’d have had eye bags, and mascara was smudged down her pale cheeks. She wore deep purple lipstick and a leather jacket with fishnet stockings. 

“Nancy,” The words bubbled to Nico’s tongue the way they always did any time he was around a ghost. “Why are you here?”

She looked up from her lap to meet his eyes, and Nico was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze. Her sapphire-colored irises glinted angrily. “Do you need help moving onto the underworld?” Nico asked, his voice gentle. She nodded, the angry glint in her eyes softening. Only when she nodded did Nico notice the slashes covering almost every inch of her skin. Her neck, her arms, her chest, all of it was covered in hundreds of stab wounds. The chair wasn’t red, Nico realized, but a soft pink and caked in blood.    
“Will you take my hand?” Nico said, holding his hands out in an offer. She stood, staggering for a moment, and Nico noticed that her white combat boots were torn and bloody as well. When she placed her hands in Nico’s they were the icy cold he had grown accustomed to in his endeavors with ghosts. What he hadn’t expected was the temperature of the entire room to drop so quickly that his ears popped, and for the door behind him to slam closed. Nancy’s sapphire blue eyes looked apologetic. Nico’s touch had effectively allowed her to release her anchor to this room, but it seemed like it had locked them inside. After she’d completely faded away and the room no longer looked like a cheap 70’s movie murder scene, Nico tried the door. Of course, it wouldn’t open. Nothing was ever that easy, was it? “It’s locked,” He growled, sharply turning around and marching to the window, which appeared to open to the outside. It was stuck too. 

“I’ll Iris-Message Chiron,” Will said, before disappearing into the bathroom. Nico heard the shower running. 

Defeated, he flopped onto the bed. What had he done to the gods to deserve this? Stuck in a hotel room with the  _ one  _ person he wanted nothing,(A small part of his mind corrected him;  _ everything, _ ) to do with? After a minute of quiet talking sounds coming from the bathroom, Will emerged, dripping wet. “Chiron said that they can come to bust us out tomorrow morning, but the van broke down on the way back to camp and they won’t be able to get out here till tomorrow,” Will said, running his fingers through his drenched golden curls. “Showers are  _ not  _ the easiest place to make Iris-Messages,” He complained, digging through the closet storage for a towel. He rubbed his hair with the one he found, and then, like it was nothing, tugged his soaked shirt off too. Nico’s cheeks burned, and he stared at the ground. 

A few hours of silence and watching the TV led Nico to the horrible realization: “So, we have to sleep here?” He asked, meeting Will’s eyes uneasily. “Yeah,” Will said, shrugging. “I just wish we had something to do,” He mumbled, patting his beige cargo shorts down with the towel. “It’s so boring in here.”

Nico’s eyes widened in horror. “There’s only one bed,” He said, patting the white linen that he was currently sitting next to. 

“I can see that,” Will said, Pulling the blankets up to his chin. “Well I’m not sharing a bed with you,” Nico complained, trying to ignore the burning in his cheeks as he shifted uneasily in the pink lounge chair.

“Why?” Will asked, with a wicked grin. “Afraid you won’t be able to resist me?” He teased, flexing his bicep. Nico’s cheeks were blood red now, and his eyes were fixated on one particular pattern in the carpet below his feet. “No,” He answered, biting his cheek. _ “Yes,” _ He thought. “But that’s weird!”

Will laughed, a true throaty laugh, and replied, “If you  _ really _ think it’s that weird and don’t want to sleep with me then you can always take the floor. There’s extra blankets in the closet.”

Nico scowled and stood up. “I’m not sleeping on the floor!” He exclaimed and walked over to the bed where Will had already cocooned himself under the blankets. He yanked the other side’s blankets up and tentatively sat down. He was practically falling off the bed he was so close to the edge, but he had a point to make. Before fully laying down, he kicked off his shoes and took off his belt. Running his fingers through his hair anxiously, he tried not to think about the fact that Will was  _ still  _ shirtless. 

“Are you ready to sleep?” Will asked, holding the TV remote up and raising his eyebrow. “Yeah,” Nico grumbled, pulling the comforter up to his eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”

**_[Will Solace]_ **

Will had always been an early riser, what with being a son of Apollo, and today was no different. It hadn’t helped that every single night for the last two months he’d had the same nightmare. The only difference between now and usual was that he didn’t generally wake up so  _ comfortable.  _ The bunk beds at camp weren’t exactly created for an enjoyable experience- and that was the only bed Will had slept in for almost four years. It was worth it- he’d rather be less comfortable on a camp bunk bed and actually enjoy his day than the other way around. He  _ loved _ camp. 

He blinked and realized there was something-  _ no, someone- _ warmly wrapped in between his arms. Shaking his head to clear it, he remembered where he was. 

Oh. 

**_Oh!_ **

Will’s eyes widened in surprise. So it was  _ Nico _ currently snuggled into Will’s tight embrace, his warm cheek pressed up against Will’s tanned chest, then. He was snoring softly, his breaths even and calm.  _ Gods, he looked adorable.  _ Will knew that Nico was not only a heavy sleeper- but a late one too. If Will had to guess, he’d say it was maybe 8 AM, so he didn’t need to untangle them just yet. He closed his eyes again and listened to the lull of Nico’s soft breaths. The moment felt like it could last forever, and Will would’ve done almost anything to stay there, arms around the Dark-haired boy. But he knew that when Nico woke up if they were still tangled up like this, he would’ve  _ freaked. _

Gently, he unwound his arms from around Nico’s chest and pressed his nose up against the son of Hades’s hair for one last moment. He smelled like ground cinnamon and earth, which ironically, were Will’s favorite scents. 

**_[Nico diAngelo]_ **

Nico woke up earlier than usual. And by early- it was still dark out. He hadn’t had a nightmare, which was unusual. He’d actually felt well-rested when he woke up, and he was surprisingly warm. Usually, when he woke up, he’d kicked his blankets off. (Thanks to his nightmares.) His toes were usually numb because the Hades cabin was always freezing. It had never particularly bothered Nico, especially because he always wore pants and at least two layers; even in the summer. Now though, every part of him was toasty warm, and he didn’t think he could’ve been any more comfortable. His cheek was pressed up against something warm-

_ Wait, what? _

Nico’s eyelids fluttered open and found himself face to face with Will’s bare chest. Will’s arms were wrapped around him, and he was emitting a warmth that only a son of Apollo could do in their sleep. His breaths were deep and pleasant. He knew he should move. He  _ needed  _ to move. If Will woke up-

Nico’s thoughts were interrupted when Will started talking in his sleep. “Please don’t leave me,” He whimpered, arms tightening around Nico. His sleeping face looked so desolate, completely heartbroken that Nico had to resist the urge to squeeze him in a hug so tight it would have woken him up. He knew Will wasn’t talking to him, and that he was probably having a bad dream, but he couldn’t resist the urge to press his face back into Will’s chest. He took a deep breath, and today Will smelled like butterscotch. Nico briefly wondered if they’d switched the candies in the infirmary out. He wouldn’t know, because he was avoiding any place Will might be. Nico decided that he’d move in a little bit- but right now he was just too comfortable. Plus, Will has  _ literally  _ begged him not to leave. That would just be cruel. At this point, even he knew his arguments were barely valid. He should do the right thing, and move away from Will. 

_ But he didn’t.  _

The next morning, Nico realized that he had fallen back asleep on Will’s chest. Thankfully, in his sleep he had wriggled away, so he was saved from  _ that _ awkward conversation. They didn’t have bags to pack or anything, and Chiron had sent the Hecate cabin pretty early.

After that, things went back to normal. _ Well _ , the new abnormal normal. 

  
  


It was Piper who noticed what was happening first.    
“You, me, Cabin 13,  _ now _ ,” She practically growled after one of their sparring practices, grabbing Nico’s wrist and yanking him towards his cabin. They walked in silence for the minute and a half it took to reach his cabin. 

“ _ What  _ is going on with you, Nico?” She asked, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. “Why are you acting so weird?”

She looked at him expectantly.

“I don’t know what you mean Piper,” Nico lied, moving to sit on his bunk. “You know how I am.”

She rolled her eyes. “Stop playing dumb. You and I both know this isn’t you, at least not anymore. Literally  _ last week _ you were in my cabin freaking out over Will, and now, wh-what it’s just over? You have never seemed happier than when you were around him. Why are you pushing him away?”

Nico sighed and tugged at his bracelet. “Piper…” He breathed, tears threatening to prick his eyes.

“You like him,” She said, voice completely monotone.

“What?” He asked, his heart racing in his chest.   
“Come  _ on _ , diAngelo, anyone with a brain could tell you that. Why aren’t you telling him how you feel?”

Nico fidgeted with his bracelet. “He wouldn’t feel the same way,” He managed to whisper, a tear slipping soundlessly down his cheek.

“Nico,” Piper’s voice was softer now, and she walked over to his side. Gently, she wiped the tears off his cheeks. 

“First of all, as a child of Aphrodite, I think I’m more qualified than anyone to be able to tell when someone has a crush. Especially one as obvious as you two. Second of all, and the bigger issue, why does it matter if he doesn’t feel the same way? You should still  _ tell him. _ What good does bottling your feelings up do except hurting you? Even if you told him the truth and he didn’t feel the same way  _ at all _ -” 

Nico winced. Even the idea of that hurt. 

“At least you would know for sure. You know Will isn’t the kind of person who would stop being your friend over something like that. But that’s beside the point! You two both clearly like each other, and you’re wasting all of this stress over nothing! I’m sure if Will wasn’t worried that you’d pull a you and run away again, he’d have asked you out weeks ago!”

Nico blinked. 

“Piper you’re saying that you think-”

“ _ Yes _ ! Oh my  _ Gods _ you silly child,  _ yes,  _ he likes you.” Piper exclaimed, standing up. “Go wait by the docks.  _ Now. _ ” She told him, and abruptly turned around and walked out of his cabin.

_ Oh my gods, what? _ Nico’s head was spinning. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, on the still glaringly large option that she might be wrong, but-  _ did William freaking Solace like him back? _

He walked down to the dock slowly, his heart racing a million miles a minute. He was visibly trembling with anxiety, and he kept chewing on the inside of his cheek. Finally, he reached the dock. 

The sun was setting over the lake, and it looked like an artist’s canvas. Flecks of purple speckled across the orangey-pink hues. 

It reminded Nico (However annoyingly,) of Will’s freckles. After a couple of anxiety-filled minutes, he heard the faint pitter-patter of footsteps at the other end of the dock. His heart was in double time, but he knew Piper was right. Even if Will didn’t reciprocate his feelings, he wasn’t the type to stop being Nico’s friend over it. 

Will’s footsteps crescendoed, and in a matter of seconds, he was standing next to Nico on the edge of the dock. When he sat down, swinging his feet over the top of the water, his lime green flip-flops stood out against the blue like a sore thumb. “Hey,” he said, looking at Nico through his blonde eyelashes. He smiled shyly. Nico’s heart felt like a jackhammer in his chest.

“Um,” Will started, running his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath. “Look I’m not really exactly sure how to say this,” He murmured, trailing off and looking at the water beneath their feet. “...But-” The anticipation was killing him, and if Will didn’t spit it out already, Nico was sure his lungs were going to helicopter away.

“Piper told me that I should tell you this and honestly it’s been killing me not to… I like you, Nico,” He breathed, his peppermint-scented breath fanning his face. (Nico later asked him about this, and Will had told him that it was honestly the most terrifying moment of his life.) “And-” He swallowed. “And not just in the friendship kind of way.”

“Do you-” Will asked, his unspoken question lingering in the air like an expensive perfume. 

_ “Yes.” _

Will grabbed Nico’s hand tentatively, interlacing their fingers. “Is this okay?” He breathed, his sparkling blue eyes locked on Nico’s. 

“Yeah,” Nico murmured, the hint of a smile playing on his lips. “It’s perfect.” He leaned into Will’s side, and they sat, feet over the water, watching the sunset. Nico felt  _ whole.  _ Will was warm, safe, and comforting. After a few minutes of contented silence, Will spoke.

“Does this mean you’re my boyfriend now?” He asked, in a teasing tone. Nico looked up at Will through his eyelashes. “If you want,” He said.

“I want to know what you want,” Will teased, brushing his lips against Nico’s hair. “That’s what I want,” Nico said, letting a soft smile spread across his lips. He sat there, wrapped in Will’s arms, in the warm sunlight, and everything was perfect. 

The next morning, Nico woke up to a knock on his door. Scrambling to get up, he opened the door wearing only black pajama bottoms. “Well-” Was all Will could say before Nico slammed the door in my face. Running over to grab a t-shirt he half yelled, “You can’t just barge into people’s cabins at zero O’Clock in the morning!”

Will’s voice (And laughter-) was muffled from the other side of the door. 

“You’re such a dork! It’s literally 9 AM. Hurry up and get dressed so we can go to breakfast.”

Nico smiled despite his annoyance at the early breakfast. It felt nice that the way they talked when they’d first started being friends was back. Tugging his black Aviator's jacket on, he ran his fingers through his hair once before stepping outside. 

“Morning, Sunshine,” Will teased, sliding his hand into Nico’s. “Don’t call me that,” Nico grumbled, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. “Why do they even have breakfast this early, anyway?” He asked, yawning. 

“Most of us have normal sleep schedules,” Will laughed, sticking out his tongue. “You could always start going to bed earlier.”

Nico shuddered. “Never.”

Piper and Annabeth were already at the table when they got there, and Piper’s eyes zeroed in straight to their intertwined hands. “So, I take it everything went according to plan last night?” She asked Will, winking at him. Nico felt his cheeks turn pink and ducked his face into Will’s shoulder. 

“You know it,” Will said, squeezing Nico’s hand comfortingly before they sat down. Piper squealed. “You two are like, the cutest thing ever,” She said, clapping her hands. “Oh my gods! You have to tell Hazel! She’s gonna be so excited! Wait- let me Iris-Message her later tonight and see if they can come to visit this week,” Piper said, her voice trailing off as she made plans in her mind. Nico managed a brief smile before leaning his head on Will’s shoulder. “I’m tired,” He complained, yawning again. Will gave him a look. “You’re the one who chooses to go to bed at an ungodly hour! How do you even stay up that late? You’re lucky Chiron doesn’t get mad at you for all the meals you miss.” 

Nico rolled his eyes. “You can’t seriously be blaming me- a literal son of Hades- for having a nocturnal sleep schedule, can you?”

“I think I can do whatever I want to do, honestly,” Will said, raising his eyebrows. Nico playfully shoved at his shoulder. “You’re so annoying, Solace.”   
“It’s my best quality.”

Later that day, they were both hanging out in Cabin 13, laying on Nico’s bed and talking. Nico was bored with a capital B, and Will was his new favorite pillow. 

“Do you want to go on a date?” He asked, turning over so their chests were touching. “I’ve never been into the city before- minus the time that all the civilians were asleep. You could show me around,” He asked in a hopeful voice, and Will’s arms snaked around his back and squeezed. “That sounds fun. Do you want to get coffee or something? I know this one shop near Percy’s mom’s house that has really good drinks and a cute bakery.” 

Nico nodded and pressed his cheek against Will’s t-shirt. He could hear the steady thrumming of Will’s heartbeat, and it was comforting; like a sound machine. His breaths came slow and steady, and his warm breath smelled faintly of the peppermints he always gave out at the infirmary. “Do you want to go today?” Will asked, and his voice sounded different, almost richer, with Nico’s ear on his chest. 

“If you want to,” Nico said, biting his cheek as he remembered what Will had told him earlier that day. Nico had always been walked over by the people who were most important to him, so he ended up saying “If you want to,” More than he realized. Will had asked him about it earlier.

_ “Why do you always say ‘If you want,’ when I ask you if you want to do something?” Will had asked, bringing their intertwined hands up to his cheek. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to.” _

_ Nico bit his lip. He wasn’t used to other people caring about his opinion. “Sorry,” He’d sighed, “Force of habit.” _

“Remember what I said?” Will asked, pulling away to look at Nico’s face. 

Nico smiled. “Yes I want to go,” he said and cocooned himself back in between Will’s arms. “In a little bit, though,” He murmured, letting himself be enveloped in the feeling of Will tracing shapes on Nico’s elbow. “I’m tired.” Nico said, and he felt himself be lulled to sleep to the gentle rhythm of Will’s heart.

For the first time in ages, he didn’t have any nightmares. 

After they woke up from their nap, (And Nico was pleasantly surprised that it somehow felt fifty times better than waking up to Will in the hotel,) they left for the city. Somehow they’d managed to order a taxi, though the fare was monstrous. After a quiet ride from Long Island into Manhattan, (Probably the most pleasant car ride Nico had ever been on,) they’d ended up on the intersection of 81st and 7th, home to none other than the coffee shop that Will had been talking about, called Abraço. When they walked in, hands intertwined, it felt natural and right. It was New York City. Nobody cared about what others were doing. The smell of coffee had hit Nico in the face, and funnily enough, the scent of books.

“Um, a black coffee and a caramel macchiato please,” Will ordered for them, after laughing when Nico told him what he wanted. While the cashier counted out their change Will snaked his hands around Nico’s waist and pressed his lips against his neck. After they sat down, (Nico thoroughly enjoying his caramel macchiato,) they talked. They talked and talked about camp before Nico had arrived; and he found out that Will had been there nearly as long as Annabeth. He’d been there when Luke had been sent on the quest to the garden of Hesperides and had even been there to help to heal the cut that Ladon had given him. Back then Lee Fletcher had still been the head counselor. It was nice to talk to Will outside of camp, without people needing him every five minutes in the infirmary. There weren’t any interruptions, and it felt like they were in a timeless bubble of space. All too soon, it was time to leave. 

Sitting in the cab, hands intertwined, they watched as the city flew by through the drops of rain on the windows. Nico’s head was resting on Will’s chest, and once again he could hear Will’s soft breaths and his heart. It had become therapeutic for Nico, Will’s heartbeat, and he had to concentrate on keeping his eyes open. “You’re basically my new pillow you know,” Nico announced, running his thumb over Will’s knuckles. 

Will laughed. “Reporting for duty,” He teased. 

“Although,” Nico noted, sitting up for a moment, “I don’t think they generally make pillows in neon green and bright orange.”

“Are you making fun of my fashion sense, diAngelo?” Will accused, the hint of a smile on his lips. “Yes, I am. Piper practically has a heart attack everytime she sees you- and she’s not even into fashion! You’re lucky you’re dating me and not her,” Nico said, smirking, and closed his eyes. He’d wanted to say something along the lines of: “You’re lucky anyone even wants to kiss you when you wear clothes like that,” But stopped himself. He didn’t want to rush anything. 

“Yeah,” Will answered, shaking his head. “Because I  _ so  _ totally want to date Piper.”

“You never know,” Nico said, feigning innocence. “I wouldn’t know, but apparently a lot of people around camp think she’s attractive.”

“Shut up,” Will said laughing. “I’ve only got eyes for you, death boy.”   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, besties! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)  
> I've been feeling very ADD lately, so it was honestly super hard for me to concentrate while writing this lol. [Spoiler!] Nico and Will are going to kiss in the next chapter! It's going to be very very cute and I can't wait for you guys to see it. My goal is to update every week, but I can get really unmotivated sometimes and I don't want to feel like it's a chore to write this- because I love them!  
> As always please leave me a comment if you liked it! I love to hear what you guys think and it makes my day every time I get one! My Twitter is @euphoricswiftie, and I'd love to talk to you guys on there! See you next chapter!  
> xo, morgan

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my second attempt at writing Fanfiction, and I feel like I've improved a lot since my first try! I hope you guys liked this chapter, and are excited to see what is to come! Please leave me comments and kudos, it gives me inspiration! I love to see what you guys think of my work and hear what you think might happen in the coming chapters! FYI- this is all taking place before TOA. I have read TOA-(and if you haven't I SUPER recommend it. It is unbelievably funny) but I wanted to focus on the angst before Nico and Will started dating, and that's already been established in TOA. Jason will *stay* alive in here, and I don't plan to kill anyone off! I'm not that mean lolz. As always my Twitter is @euphoricswiftie if you'd like to be mutuals, I follow most fan pages back! Again, please leave me comments, they give me life!! Thank you for reading :)  
> xoxo morgan


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